The United States hopes defense meetings Wednesday in Riyadh will help advance a long-standing goal of building a regional missile shield, bolstered by Israel’s successful defense against waves of incoming Iranian missiles and drones last month, U.S. officials say.
But it’s unclear whether Gulf allies have the same confidence as the US to defend them, or whether those allies are willing to take the steps necessary to truly integrate their defenses in a region that has been eager to hedge its bets. cover, according to former US officials and former US officials. experts.
The May 22 US-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Riyadh comes just over a month after the United States, Britain and other allies helped Israel shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones, mostly launched from Iran.
